We have the KA combo convection oven and the cooling fan is quite noticeable. It's also on whenever the convection is on, so I'm not sure if it's the convection fan or the cooling fan, but I suspect it's the cooling fan. We have a pretty loud house (dog, boys, parrots, music, news, etc) and open floor plan, so it doesn't really bother us. I do appreciate it because it works really, really well to dissipate the heat. Living in Florida and trying to conserve a/c, I don't want a "hot spot" in my kitchen, especially right in the middle of my galley-shape. For this reason I also really, really like my ventilation hood and I use it even when I'm using the oven on my range.

Another option that *might* work are the high speed systems. Unico is one brand. They use much smaller ducts that can fit inside joists (ducts are about 3" round). They work with a standard compressor, but have a different air handler. They're often used in renovations because there's a lot less cutting involved.

tiger and mike, the carrier guy just got back at me this morning and gave me another combination he thinks that will help me...save $$$ a little more. here are his new quote. please kindly check out if this is a good system to replace my old hvac system. A/C: 24ACC6 Performance Efficiency Up to 16.5 SEER Limited Warranty 10-year parts limited warranty when properly registered1 ENERGY STAR® Details All Carrier air conditioner products achieving system combinations of 14.5 SEER and 12 EER or higher meet the ENERGY STAR guidelines for efficiency. Proper sizing and installation of equipment is critical to achieve optimal performance. Air conditioners must be matched with appropriate indoor coil components to meet ENERGY STAR criteria. Ask your contractor for details or visit the ENERGY STAR website. Sound Quiet Level2 As low as 72 dB Features Sound suppressing compressor blanket Controls Controls Supported Edge® and Comfort™ thermostats Technology Refrigerant Environmentally-sound Puron® refrigerant Compressor Single-stage Scroll Cooling Capacity (tons) 1.5 - 5 Pressure Switches High and Low Aesthetics Protection WeatherArmor™ Construction Galvanized steel Paint Baked-on, powder coat paint Coil Guard Steel, louver Coil Guard Gas furnace: 59TP5 Performance Efficiency Up to 96.5% AFUE Inducer Motor Single-speed Gas Valve Two heating stages Limited Warranty 10-year parts limited warranty when properly registered; Lifetime limited warranty on heat exchanger1 ENERGY STAR® Details As an ENERGY STAR partner, Carrier Corporation has determined that the Performance™ 96 gas furnace meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. Controls Controls Supported All Thermostats Diagnostics On Board Technology Capacity 40,000 - 120,000 BTUH Blower Motor Multiple-speed ECM Primary Heat Exchanger Aluminized steel Secondary Heat Exchanger Fin-and-tube stainless steel Fuel Natural Gas; convertible to liquid propane (LP) Aesthetics Profile Variable-speed Multipoise Construction Galvanized steel Paint Baked-on urethane base coat and polyester top coat Evaporator coil: CNPVP Performance Limited Warranty 10-year parts limited warranty when properly registered; 10-year parts limited warranty on optional tin plated coils; 5-year parts limited warranty on copper coil1 Technology Refrigerant Puron® refrigerant Coil Configuration Cased N Features Thermostatic Expansion Valve Cooling Capacity (tons) 1.5 - 5 Installation Vertical Aesthetics Construction Heavy gauge steel cabinet Paint Taupe Metallic Thermostat: TC-NAC Performance Limited Warranty 10-year parts limited warranty when properly registered1 Technology Staging 1 Heat, 1 Cool Access On-unit Power Supply 24-volt or battery Aesthetics Display Backlit LCD non-programmable thermostat total price: $8132.00 (MD rebate of $80.00 and fed. tax credit of $500.00) net investment: $ 6832.00 gentlemen...what do you think of this system? will this work? I specifically told the carrier guy the other day that the original quote he gave me were just over my budget and needs to come up with another system that will replace my old one. thank you both! BTW: here are the exact model numbers for each: A/C: 24ACC642003 GAS FURNACE: 59TP5A100E21..20 EVAP COIL: CNPVP4821ALA THERMOSTAT/NON PROGRAMMABLE: TC-NAC01 hope this helps...

I mentioned way up thread that you should talk to friends or your real estate agent and ask for the name of an a/c company that they trust. Explain your situation and have them come out and do an inspection. It could be a very simple fix, like a duct tear. You are more likely to get someone to come out now when it is slow than in the dead of summer. Don't go into a long complicated explanation. Just say you feel like the a/c is not working properly, the builder is ignoring calls, will you come out and do inspection? If the a/c inspection finds a more complicated issue then take some photos and you will have ammo against the builder.